YuGiOh: Tale of the Dark One
by Hikari of Dark Rose
Summary: A new darkness is approaching Domino, can Yugi and his friends solve the mystery behind the strange artifact that has appeared in the city? And what ties does it have to their new friend Molly?
1. Chapter 1

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Tale of the Dark One**

**By Hikari of Dark Rose**

**Chapter 1**

**An Unexpected Discovery**

It was a hot summer day in Domino, Japan. Yugi Moto and his friends were assisting his grandfather by cleaning the shop while Grandpa Moto was out. Tea cleaned the glass casing, as Yugi organized cards inside, Joey and Tristan were sweeping the floor and occasionally having brief fights with their broom handles.

"So Yugi… are you sure your Grandpa didn't say where he was going?" Tea looked at her shorter friend with a confused glance. The group had been planning on a picnic at the beach but the sudden disappearance of Mr. Moto had stopped that plan in its tracks. Just then a loud clacking noise drew her attention and the brunette girl looked at her other friends with a frustrated sigh. "Come on guys, not in the shop! Can't you work together just once?" Joey and Tristan parted and both looked sheepish at being caught. Any further explanation however was cut off by the sound of the front door opening.

"Yugi, I'm back" Called out Grandpa as he entered the shop, followed by 4 guests. "And I've brought some people for you to meet. Though I'm sure you already know Professor Hawkins and Rebecca." The Professor and his granddaughter stepped into shop and as soon as the girl had a clear path to Yugi she launched forward, scrabbling over the counter to tackle the small boy.

"Oh Yugi, It's been too long since my last visit, you need to write to me more!" Yugi opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the blonde in his arms. "But that doesn't matter since Molly and I will be staying here!" Rebecca continued to cuddle Yugi to death as her chatter sped up into an unintelligent able blur. Leaving Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Yugi to all look at each other in confusion

"Rebecca, Please!" they heard the familiar voice of Professor Hawkins scold the little girl. "You're really too old for such antics!" Rebecca had the same look on her face that Tristan and Joey had had when caught broom dueling and she slowly climbed off Yugi and walked back to where her Grandfather stood as Solomon Moto Cleared his throat.

"As I was about to say… This is my friend and former colleague Mary Bowen and her granddaughter, Molly " Grandpa stepped aside and revealed the other two visitors. One was a tall woman with chestnut and white hair pulled into a tight bun and blue eyes that seemed to deepen in color as you looked at them. The other was a girl about Yugi's age who stood a few inches shorter than Tea, she had her grandmother's blue eyes but her hair was long and a much darker brown.

"Molly and Rebecca will be staying with us while Professors Bowen and Hawkins Return to Egypt" Grandpa continued to explain as he began inspecting the job the kids had done taking care of the shop in his absence. "Arthur and Mary have an interesting discovery out there"

"Yes, it seems a site that no one really ever paid attention to has turned into something quite extraordinary." Professor Hawkins stepped forward and spread a map out upon one of the counters. It showed what appeared to be the foundation for a small fort and several small houses.

"For a long time it was believed that this was just an isolated outpost, nothing more than a back gate to the kingdom. However Professor Bowen has found ancient Greek documents that seemed to list it as far more." Professor Hawkins drew a large circle around the area "And now thanks to aerial photography, we now see the town was at some point much larger."

"Wow" said Yugi as he and his friends in unison as they leaned over the map as Professor Hawkins drew a circle around the new estimated boundaries of the dig site then noticed the approximate date given for the settlement was disturbingly close to the one for the millennium puzzle. "Do you think this will have anything to do with the millennium items?"

"Maybe… a lot of the artifacts we have already found date up to about that time, but nothing past that point. The city may have been in decline already, with the Shadow Wars being the final straw." Explained the Professor "Unfortunately we have no idea what the condition of the site will be and that means…"

"What it means is Grandpa doesn't trust me!" Rebecca interrupted loudly tears brimmed in her eyes as the 12 year old clung to Yugi once again and began to sob heavily into his shoulder. "It's unfair Yugi, Just because last time I went on a dig I fell into an unmarked tomb…" the rest was lost in the little girl's sobbing

"Now, there will be none of that young lady!" Professor Bowen spoke up harshly, tapping her walking stick on the floor "If you want us to treat you as an adult you had best start acting like one. You won't be joining us this season due to your carelessness, and keep acting this way and you will be barred from the next as well!"

"You're just saying that!" Rebecca retorted as she whirled back around to face the elder woman "Molly has been behaving up to your standards and she isn't going either!" The girl in question looked up nervously when her name was mentioned but then back at her hands again. She didn't wish to be part of the argument and her opinion would make little difference either way. So she just kept herself busy by sewing a picture of a pink tiger, only the tiger itself was done so far but on a close inspection one would see a background of a ruined Egyptian palace.

"It's different with Molly, and I am not going into it with you Miss Hawkins" With a sigh Professor Bowen turned to Solomon Moto "Truly I am sorry for this, but we have to go now." With that the tall woman grabbed Professor Hawkins' arm and marched him out so that he didn't spend an hour trying to calm Rebecca down.

The Kame game shop was a different place at 4 in the morning. The world around it had yet to awake and silence permeated into every surface, the sounds, bustle, and activities of the day belonged to Yugi. The quiet, the peace, the solitude of the night belonged to Yami.

Things weren't so bad for the puzzle spirit. He had long ago learned to turn the TV on and off, if the long ago past began to creep against his consciousness. That was what he was about to do now, his host in the grip of a fitful sleep. It was by pure luck that Yami found a documentary on ancient Egypt, soon some of the darkness was chased away by a view of desert sands and old music with songs only half remembered. Closing his eyes the Pharaoh settled on the couch which was populated by a pile of blankets someone had left behind. Suddenly Yami's eyes popped open as the blanket under him shifted and he felt a thrumming pulse under his hand. Slowly the spirit looked down… his hand rested on the center of a young woman's chest and it was her heart he felt.

Upstairs a strong rush of emotion thrust Yugi awake from the dream which had held him until now. Alone he had walked, seeking someone dear to him. He carried on through desert and city, walking and searching but he knew that he never drew any closer, she was gone from him forever but he vowed to keep looking.

"Yami?" the 17 year old whispered to the spirit which suddenly appeared at his side, still lost in the fading dream for a few moments. It took the boy that long to notice the flustered look on his ancient friend's face. "Is something wrong?"

"Yugi… there is a girl… on the couch…"Yami muttered slowly, not quite making eye contact with his light half. Yugi blinked at the embarrassed way his other spirit had told him this fact.

"Uh… Does she have brown hair? About our age?" Yami nodded in response, it was dark but Yugi would almost swear the spirit was blushing. "Oh that's Molly. She is staying with us for the summer and was probably kicked out of the guest room by Rebecca"

"Re…Rebecca? Here?" the Pharaoh wasn't overly thrilled to hear about their blonde guest. The last time he had seen her she had been a child, and an annoying one at that.

"Yes both of them will be staying here while their grandparents are off in Egypt… Come on, by now she is probably awake and it would be a shame for you to miss your show." Yugi stood up and put a robe on over his pajamas.

Downstairs they found Molly had indeed woken up and was staring stupefied at the TV. The confused brunette seemed to be looking all over the couch for the remote control so she could explain away the device magically turning itself on.

"Hey sorry about that," Yugi greeted her as both he and Yami descended the stairs earning a startled eep from Molly who hastily hurried to wrap the blanket tighter around herself, "I have the TV set on a timer so I could watch this show… want some tea?"

"Yes, please… if it isn't too much trouble." Molly curled up so she would not take up the whole couch. It struck her as really odd that someone would go out of their way for her, more used to Rebecca's constant demands, and emotional outbursts.

As it turned out, Molly was a much better conversation partner than Yugi gave her credit for. During commercial breaks the two had hit it off without the overbearing Rebecca dominating the conversation. Molly had a good grasp on hieroglyphics and the both had a laugh over a tablet on the screen which spoke about the size of a prince's harem, rather than his coronation which the host indicated. At some point Molly had recovered her sewing hoop from a box on the floor and began working at her picture again. As Yugi watched, certain bits of project shimmered in the flickering light of the television giving the whole thing a magical glisten.

"You know… that looks like an Amazoness Tiger," He remarked. Looking up and seeing confusion on the girl's face he clarified, "It's a duel monster, do you play?"

"Well, sort of. Rebecca taught me how to play … here." Molly pulled a deck out of her sewing box, handing it to Yugi. Soon it became apparent to Yugi however, that this was not a deck, but a bunch of random cards fished out of Rebecca's spare collection. No one could win with this and if he was right, having an easy to beat had been Rebecca's intention from the start.

"Is this is it…?" Yugi asked before making eye contact with the brown haired girl, Maybe this was a side deck or she had picked up the wrong pile out of her sewing box. Molly nodded Yugi found he couldn't tell her what their friend had done

"It's ok for a beginner, but why don't I help you rebuild this in the morning" He offered, it would take a lot of work but being the king of games had bonuses. One of which was an expansive collection of spare cards. Molly blushed, again unused to the fact of someone going out of their way for her, but she smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Yugi"

* * *

The next morning Grandpa Moto found the pair in the shop with cards spread out all over the floor. Yugi found Molly had a good understanding of timing, how and when to use traps. He coupled her with a fast warrior deck, taking a cue from her stitching and made it Amazon themed. The deck was finished just as Joey and Tristan came into the shop, both wearing swim wear and whooping excitedly.

"Hey Yuge! Come on, Today we're going to the beach." Joey waved his towel above his head.

"Sorry guys, I can't. I have to help Grandpa in the shop," Yugi looked from his friends to Molly, she needed to practice and it would help him to watch where she made her mistakes, "But… while you're here, can you maybe practice with Molly?"

"Yeah, sure. Count me in." Joey said eyeballing the shy girl kneeling on the floor in her long yellow and white dress. She looked up and smiled innocently, her white hair bow flopping a little as head tilted slightly. She didn't look like too big a threat; Joey figured he could show the girl a little kindness.

An hour later, when Tea arrived to meet the boys, he had reconsidered that opinion. Molly and Joey had dueled 5 times and Joey had had to fight for both victories he had claimed. Yugi was stunned, Molly had gone from novice to a semi skilled player in a matter of hours, more than that her frequent losses at the hands of Rebecca seemed to have taught her a sense of humility or, he wondered, looking down at the girl, did she have that from the start?

As Tea, Joey, and Tristan left, Yugi went back into the shop to find Rebecca had come in and was telling Molly not to bother with the new deck, it didn't suit her play style at all. Yugi was about to rush to the defense of molly when the brunette did so on her own, thanking Rebecca for her opinion and all the previous 'training' she had provided, but that she liked this deck, it was actually playable and would be staying. Though all this was said in such a polite manner even Rebecca couldn't find something to get angry about.

Working in the shop after that was an interesting affair to say the least. Rebecca who was unhappy at the loss of her minion tried to make trouble on several occasions. It became so bad at one point that Solomon sent Molly out on errands just to relieve tension. However between surges of Hurricane Hawkins, Molly and Yugi found a camaraderie, which was quickly deepening into a solid friendship.

"Yugi," Grandpa Moto said as he and his grandson closed the shop for the day, "Why don't you take Rebecca out to the museum or something tomorrow? Molly and I can manage for one day, and it might help to get Rebecca out and about." Yugi eyed his grandfather oddly he seriously doubted all Rebecca's problems could be fixed by a day tour of the Domino museum but he could give it a try… anything had to be better than today.

"All right Grandpa, but you will call me if anything goes wrong, right?"

"Of course!" Replied the old man, patting his grandson on the back. "Now come on, Molly is making dinner, and we don't want to miss it" They went inside and Yugi found that, yes, Molly _had _made dinner for everyone. She wasn't a great cook, but to Yugi and Solomon who had a bad habit of consisting mostly take-out food, roast chicken and a good fresh salad seemed like a blessing. There was even enough good will leftover from dinner for the four of them to have a game of scrabble, Grandpa earning an untold number of points by passing off made up words as being from one foreign language or another. It surprised everyone though that the one who caught him out was actually quiet Molly instead of the more vocal Rebecca. Still the light of the good feeling spread over the participants casting a warm golden glow on the memories.

* * *

As Yugi slept that night however, the warmth and laughter of the kitchen table seemed like a far of beacon in a lonely sea. It was dark and ancient city that spread out before him, he knew the streets, the hiding places, yet Yugi felt a dark presence around every corner. He was stalking something… or was it Stalking him? Faster and faster he ran, trying desperately to catch whatever it was or more than his own life would be at stake. Then there was a sharp impact and the world twisted, there was an unworldly growl, a woman crying out that he wanted to protect, a sharp pain as fangs and claws dug into his flesh, fear settling deep into his bones.

'What?' Yugi wondered as the pain deepened 'isn't this a dream?' then Yugi felt the world shift again as for a moment he and the person he was dreaming he was became separate entities then merged together again with the force of a tidal wave.

Slowly he opened his eyes… was he Yugi? Someone else... did it matter? The answer to the last question was no. Whoever he was though, he didn't want to be them right now as he looked around a room that seemed to be half a wizard's laboratory and half a woman's bedroom, his head hurt… his whole body hurt. Shadows in the room moved as another occupant walked around and Yugi's sight a blurred as one leaned over before a soothing voice spoke in Egyptian.

"You know… you are very lucky I happened to be there when it attacked" Yugi blinked several times, trying to see the owner of the voice clearly, his hand lifting reaching for the shape but after a minute he felt too weak and closed his eyes again with a muffled noise that was half a plea and half a sob. He was afraid…he didn't know why… but he was.

"Shhhh, Shhhhh" the voice quieted again and a warm damp cloth smelling strongly of herbs and spices was placed on his forehead while he was gathered in the woman's arms "Everything's all right. Shhhhh, you'll be all right. The poison just has to work itself out"

Against the voice that sounded both completely strange and heart-breakingly familiar Yugi couldn't hold out and his consciousness drifted to black before he woke one more time staring into the worried face of Yami. Rising to his feet the young man walked over to the window, pressing his face to the glass as he stared out at pre-dawn Domino muttering softly to both himself and his ancient guardian "Just… it was just a bad dream"


	2. Chapter 2

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Tale of the Dark One**

**By Hikari of Dark Rose**

**Chapter 2**

**Shadows Thicken**

Thanks to the nightmare, Yugi was up and ready for his day well before even Molly who was once again sleeping on the couch. Yami floated next to his host still worried about the young boy, he had sensed a dark power in the room and it was that power which had summoned the spirit from his soul room. But when he'd emerged in astral form all he had found was Yugi in the grip of another fitful sleep.

"Yugi… I'm starting to get worried." The ancient spirit touched his partner's shoulder, "You've been having _so many_ nightmares lately." And it was true. This made the 5th time this week the boy had woken from his sleep troubled and unable to return to it afterwards.

"I'm fine Yami." Yugi said, going into the shop so as not to disturb Molly, "You worry too much"

"But… Yugi…" Yami really wasn't sure if he should just drop it, considering all the trouble they usually found themselves in.

"I…I just… had a bad dream." Yugi said, hugging both his arms and staring out the shop's door, watching as the early morning fog was driven away by the rising sun.

* * *

Hours later the Kame Game shop was again a bustle of activity. Tristan and Joey had managed to win some tickets to a concert, so Tea also joined Molly and Grandpa in working the shop that day as Yugi headed to the Domino Museum arm and arm with Rebecca Hawkins.

"It's so nice going somewhere cool, just the two of us! Don't you think so Yugi?" Rebecca cuddled her date's arm as he got them in the museum for a discount with his membership pass. What a cool boyfriend he was, Being both interested in history and the King of Games!

"Ugh… yeah… nice." Yugi wished Rebecca would loosen up on his arm. Why was it him the young duelist had to have a crush on? As the tour went on though things surprisingly _did_ get better, Rebecca was no slouch when it came to history and managed to bring some new ideas on how Yugi might trigger the Pharaoh's memory. Of course Yugi didn't tell her what he wanted the information for, it was something just between him and Yami. The as the pair of kids made their way to the Ancient Egyptian portion of the museum, Yugi was shocked to see things had been completely re-arranged.

Most of the artifacts Ishizu had brought to the city were gone, probably placed in storage somewhere. Now the room they once occupied was taken up by an awe inspiring exhibit. The room was divided into sections by several screens, the first one painted to look like the front of an ancient temple. Small water gardens with plastic replicas of plants and animals took up the first section, with sounds and music piped in to further enhance the experience, plaques explaining their significance bordered the displays, with a final sign at the base of the stairs asking if the visitors had the courage to venture further, climb the stairs, and enter the temple

"Wow." Yugi gasped as he looked around and Yami beside him echoed the sentiment, it really was immersive, whoever had put this together deserved an award.

"Don't just stand there!" Rebecca said darting past Yugi "Come on, let's go in." Then without waiting she went on in ahead going through a dark curtain which blocked the view of the next section, leaving Yugi to climb the stairs alone.

"Yami?" Yugi paused as he was about to step through the curtain, his darker spirit was at the top but looking back over the gardens. "Is this helping, at all?" The spirit of the puzzle said nothing, just nodded at his friend before both entered the same way Rebecca had gone.

The next section was the Temple Interior, A large empty sarcophagus stood in the center, painted with images of the Gods and Goddesses, around the edges of the room were mannequins dress as priests performed various rituals and ceremonies with accompanying information on the walls next to them. The ambient noise of this room was low, almost mournful, music and the lighting flicked as if clouds of incense-smoke wafted through the air.

Down a short flight of stairs was another section; it was made to look like another outside garden with several mannequins, some of children playing, others of women of noble rank, and a few servants thrown in. The signs around the children were a little sad, some mentioned toys and games but others talked about various defects and diseases children, especially noble children, faced. The outdoor sounds returned from the first section, but this time children's laughter was spliced in. It made the whole effect very creepy, hearing the sound… but nothing else moved. Rebecca shuddered and tugged on Yugi's arm, so they could move on to the next room.

In the display, at the far end of the room was a pharaoh. He sat tall in his throne, as mannequins dressed as priests and viziers read petitions off papyrus scrolls. Yugi watched silently as Yami's spirit separated from him and drifted over to the seated monarch. The dark spirit touched the face of the statue then turned to look over the rest of the exhibit… He had been here before… well not here exactly, but a room much like this. Yami closed his eyes and for one second saw a flash of a different throne room, but then it was gone as quickly as it had come, leaving Yami with a slightly hollow feeling. He quickly returned to the puzzle and put the mental equivalent of a "do not disturb" sign on the door, Yami had a lot to think about.

The last room was long, it looped around to deposit the guest back near the entrance of the exhibit. It was not themed and after the atmospheric lighting of the other rooms, the brilliant white glare from fluorescent bulbs above was almost blinding. Standing shielded by glass cases were various artifacts, each well labeled, where they had been found, what period the dated back too. Yugi slowly browsed, taking in every detail so he could describe things to Yami later, he was so busy trying to memorize everything that he walked into Rebecca who was staring at one of the smaller cases.

"Is something wrong?" Yugi asked his friend. The object in the case was a medallion or coin about the size of an American silver dollar… or it would be if it were completed. As it was the coin looked like it had been crudely struck in half with a hatchet. Even so the detail that was left was beautiful hanging from the top of the exhibit one side showing a flower blooming from an ankh the other showing an oddly familiar golden eye being cradled in a crescent moon. There were flecks of paint, blue on the flower, and silver on the moon that made Yugi think it must have been someone's prized procession once.

"It looks like the necklace Molly wears…" Rebecca said softly as she walked around the case in shock, after a couple seconds the blonde girl pulled a camera phone from her bag and took several pictures. "I have to show her this, come on Yugi!"

With that the tiny girl grabbed the boy and began dragging him out of the room. Neither noticing the shape of an elderly man with a cane standing against the far wall who had heard the conversation, he watched the children leave before straightening his suit and walking over to the case where the medallion hung.

"My, my, and here I thought it would take another ten years to locate the other half… thank you, little friends." The old man let out a bout of maniacal laughter as he stared at the half circle of gold hanging before him. "The ancient power of the Dark Lady, the Sage of Set… soon in my hands, after a decade of searching for one half… the other falling into my lap like this is a good omen indeed."

The strange man walked away from the case and headed to his personal office. First things first he had to was find his old phone book. The girl was a mystery but the boy? He had hair that could only have come from one source, Solomon Mutou.

* * *

"Now Rebecca, Please explain this to me… why were you so excited about that medallion?" Yugi asked as he and Rebecca sat next to each other on the bus home. She had dragged him out of the Museum and part of the way home without more than a 'I'll tell you later' but soon the pair realized that taking the public bus would get them home faster and had caught a ride at the nearest station. Now, other than the driver, they were alone and Yugi thought he might as well get the whole story now

"It's a bit of a long story Yugi" Rebecca said as she stared at one of the pictures she had taken with her camera phone, gripping it tightly to avoid her shaking hands. "Remember when I mentioned that Grandpa wouldn't let Molly and I go with him because we fell into an unmarked tomb?" She looked up and saw Yugi nod, "Well there was more to it than that… We were at the sight of the fort for only a couple days, and then Molly came down with something. She went pale, began sleeping a lot mostly during the daytime. When she was awake Molly started having weak and dizzy spells... she even fainted, once. At first everyone just thought it was heat exhaustion, it was her first time in Egypt after all and that summer was incredibly hot"

"But it wasn't?" Yugi asked softly, his grandfather had told him several stories of heat exhaustion that Solomon had seen during his days as an archeologist.

"No, it wasn't. Soon Molly started sleep walking at night, I decided to follow her so she wouldn't get lost but she always went to the same place and sat down. Molly would just sit there blinking until dawn when she woke up. I was always told you're not supposed to wake a sleepwalker so most of the time I kept my distance but on the eighth night of this I went over to where she was. Seriously Yugi, all I wanted to do was lead her back to our tent." Rebecca took a deep breath and scooted in close to Yugi. "But when I got close enough to grab her hand the sand beneath us gave way and we fell into a ruin of some sort."

"Were either of you hurt?" Normally Yugi would have moved back to put some space between himself and Rebecca, but she seemed really shaken by the memory of the story so he placed an arm around his friend's shoulder.

"Not really, I took a minor knock to the head and Molly fell onto this stone sarcophagus… a lot like the one in the temple of that exhibit in fact. It was covered in piles of linen cloth so it broke her fall, but when she rolled off and to the floor some of the layers cloth fell off as well and landed in her lap. What we didn't know at that moment was Molly's pendant was hidden in that mound of cloth."

"Wait… they had a gold trinket _inside_ the linen cloth? Were they preparing for a mummification, or had the tomb been robbed?" Yugi knew that certain amulets were indeed placed between layers of wrapping…but why would they stop in the middle of mummification? It was a sacred act meant to preserve a body for all eternity, not something to be done halfway.

"That's what our Grandparents theorized" Rebecca answered referring to the latter "There was no mummy in the chamber with us, but there were quite a few artifacts. The pile of Linen helped add weight to Professor Bowen's theory; they were of almost royal quality. But if the tomb had been robbed would anyone had left even the slightest gold trinket? ... Back to the point though Molly came to her senses and made her way over to me, just as she sat me back up and I was able to respond to her we heard this strange shuffling noise… and these things emerged from the dark. They were mummies dressed in blue robes, these weird featureless white masks, and this ethereal glow around them."

"Those sort of sound like Pharonic Protector" Yugi thought aloud. They were weak 900 attack zombies so under used that most duelists had not even heard of them, they came from one of the first duel monsters card pack ever circulated and were never reprinted. However weak they were in the game, Yugi had no doubt if those were real monsters they could have seriously hurt both girls. "How…did you beat them?"

"It was Molly, I wasn't completely awake at the moment. So the only thing she could think to do was stand up and yell at them"

* * *

Flashback

* * *

"Bad Mummies!" Molly of the flashback shouted as she stood trembling, shaking a fist at the approaching monsters, her hand unknowingly clenched around a wad of linen from her lap. From within that ball of cloth a faint golden glint shimmered, and the creatures slowed in their forward shuffle.

Seeing her slight victory made Molly pause, even though the creatures were still advancing she stood taller, her voice ringing as her voice lost its trembling falter "Be… Be gone from this place! Go to your eternal rest and haunt this place no more, your duties are done." By the end of the sentence the Mummies had stopped and with a final moan retreated back into the dark from which they came.

Rebecca who had finished recovering was shocked, this confident side was something she had never seen in Molly, _ever,_ since they had been introduced. Unfortunately though, it couldn't last and when the monsters were gone Molly's knees gave out and she fell on her rear with a loud sigh before remembering to go check on Rebecca.

* * *

End of Flashback

* * *

"Our grandparents searched the tomb and didn't find a single mummy, though Molly has never taken to sleep walking again so I think the two were connected. They let her keep the coin when it was discovered, her side is much more damaged and there isn't any paint on it… but I swear it is the same."

"But why are we rushing home to tell Molly?" Yugi asked, touching the Millennium Puzzle as the driver called out the name of their stop and the two children rose to their feet.

"Because, A. if she goes near the museum they might try to take her half from her… and B. if the halves are so close together weird stuff might start happening and she _should_ know about it!... I mean what if she was caught un-prepared?"

* * *

Meanwhile

* * *

"Now you just go get everything on that list now, Molly" Grandpa Mutou said as he held the door for the girl "I can't wait to see what dinner will be like to night, but remember to come straight back." He looked up at the sky as dark clouds began to roll in "It may be a bad night tonight."

Molly stepped out into the darkening evening. Today she wore a long white sundress under a red crimson cape coat with a hood, normally she didn't wear the coat because Rebecca had teased her about little red riding hood quite a few times, but with coming to Domino city being a last minute affair and this sudden onset of foul weather Molly had little choice.

"Be careful what you ask for, you may get it." Molly muttered before heading out with her shopping bag, hopping the rain Grandpa Mutou had just mentioned would hold off until she arrived back at the shop. She had not been gone for more than 10 minutes before Yugi and Rebecca came dashing in the back door panting and calling for her.

"She just left." Grandpa Mutou told the children as he got them each a glass of water "You two probably would have seen her if you had come in from the front. But what is this all about Yugi?"

"Nothing really, Grandpa." Yugi put his hand on Rebecca's shoulder "Calm down what the worst that could…" Yugi was interrupted as the phone rang, causing both kids to jump a mile because of how loud the noise seemed. Solomon Mutou just shook his head at the children and went to answer.

"Hello, Kame Game Shop. International games and toys are our specialty… Charles? Charles Colvin is that you? How have you been my friend?"

"Oh, just fine Solomon." The man from the museum sat in the back of his car talking on a cell phone. "I just recently came to town and saw your grandson at the museum. No one could mistake that hair. I did not want to interrupt him and his young friend but it reminded me to call you and catch up on how things are."

"Well, I opened the game shop and things are going well" Grandpa smiled quite proud of himself for how he ran the business. "But it's odd that you're here now when excavation season is in full swing. You were always the most eager of all of us to work on a site."

"Until 3 years ago, I was" Charles agreed. "But then I was in Rome trying to get access to a certain part of Pompeii when at the height of the day's rush hour I had an accident. It was nothing serious before you ask, but it did a good bit of harm to my leg. These days I chase my leads and theories through libraries instead of tombs and I must say it suits me quite well."

"When we were young I would never have counted you as a bookworm Charles. Mary yes but not you. Speaking of which will you be in town at the end of the summer? Mary and Arthur will be back and all us old relics could have a night on the town. We could leave the grandkids at home… do you have any yet, by the way?" Grandpa walked over to a calendar and began to try and plot a day for this reunion

"No unfortunately. My son is like I was and far too wrapped up in his work for relationships… in a year or so that will probably change though." Charles rolled his eyes a little, before a thought struck him, "How many grandchildren do you have Solomon?"

"Only Yugi, but Arthur's granddaughter Rebecca and Mary's granddaughter Molly are staying here this summer, it seems the desert didn't agree with them last year"

"That heat is the only thing I do not miss about Egypt" Charles commented as he looked out his window. From what the children had said at the museum it seemed that Molly Bowen was holding the second half of the coin. Colvin had seen the girl in the striking red coat leave the shop, and just now he could see her coming again at the far end of the street, red fabric billowing as she ran hoping to beat the threatening rain. Reaching forward he tapped the driver of the car and handed him a bottle of clear liquid and a soft thick cloth. The man got out, keeping to the shadows and waited in an alley just across the street from where the car was parked. It was only a minute later, the man walking back to the car carrying a bundle wrapped in red, "Well it was a pleasure to speak with you again Solomon, but I'm afraid duty calls." Goodbyes were said and Charles Colvin closed his cell phone, nodding for his driver to open the door and place the Carmine bundle on the seat next to him.

"Back to the museum, sir?" The driver asked as he climbed back behind the wheel. Charles nodded again and leaned over his recent acquisition folding back the hood and part of the red coat, revealing the now unconscious Molly Bowen. Her hair was messed up slightly from when she had struggled while being grabbed and against the hollow of her throat a gold half circle gleamed, Charles touched the pendant reverently secretly ecstatic that this was indeed the other half to the one held in the glass display.

"My dearest child, to think the granddaughter of the biggest skeptic I have ever met would be the one to hold the artifact I seek. Fate it seems has a wicked sense of humor." He patted the girl's hand gently "But don't let that bother you, this is a happy day!" As the car approached the museum he hummed a happy tune. Yes, today, Charles Colvin was going to get everything he ever wanted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Tale of the Dark One**

**By Hikari of Dark Rose**

**Chapter 3**

**Ritual Gone Wrong  
**

The museum was silent as Charles Colvin entered, followed by his servant who carried the girl. Closing early on a slow day was not uncommon and for Charles it was a blessing today, the ageing Egyptologist hit a button on a remote control a guard had given him to disable security cameras then began muttering to himself, going over the preparations he still needed to perform.

"Ettore, just put the girl on the altar if you would." Charles said with a sigh as he took off his coat and started toward his office. The servant looked to his master before making an affirmative sound and gently placing Molly in the temple room on the sarcophagus. Ettore stared at the girl for a moment smoothing out her coat and hair before dashing out of the room, coming back with a pillow from the lobby and slipping it under her head just in time for his boss to call into the room "And put the other half of the pendant around her neck but don't let the halves touch.

"Mr. Colvin… The little girl, she won't be hurt will she? This doesn't seem right." Ettore did as he was told though, he owed his employer far too much for him to refuse. Carefully he disabled the alarm on the case and, collecting the half circle hanging from its dark cord, returned to Molly's side, placing it gently and taking particular care to keep the halves separate. As he reached down with his finger to nudge them apart slightly further only to pull back with a hiss as he felt a shock run up his arm.

"Of course she won't be hurt!" Charles exclaimed as he put on some ceremonial robes, really it was impossible to do complicated magic properly in a three piece suit. "Ettore, I am surprised at you! After all the good you have seen me do not to mention healing your wife, and you would think I would let this girl be hurt?" The professor stared down at the ornate dagger laying next to his discarded street clothes and shook his head as he lied, "If you still feel bad though, go on back to the hotel, when she wakes up I will put her in a cab and send her home."

"Graci Sir, anything else before I go?" Ettore quickly grabbed his own coat and keys then paused at the entrance to the exhibit. "No, just go." Charles drummed his fingers on his desk, hiding the irritation from his voice. He waited until he heard the receding footsteps and the bang of the exterior door.

"Finally, alone at last."

* * *

Mutou card shop

* * *

"Where is she?" Rebecca said in a worried tone as she paced back in forth "It's been two hours since she went out. Something has to be wrong, Molly would have found a way to call by now." The young girl was stopped by Grandpa Mutou who pushed a cup of tea into her hands.

"Now now, Rebecca you must calm down. Yugi is all ready calling his friends to organize a search for her, but until we are ready to go there is nothing we can do." Solomon hated to say this but it was true, there really was nothing anyone could do at the moment. Meanwhile in the hall Yugi was on a conference call with Tea and Joey.

"So it has really been two hours?" Tea asked worried. She had left to go home only 15 minutes after Molly had gone out, but the other girl, though timid seemed to have a level head on her shoulders and since Battle City most major intersections in town had maps posted for travelers.

"Two hours and 34 minutes." Yugi clarified to his friends "I was hoping you could call Duke and search up town?"

"Want me to grab Tristan and cover downtown and the west side?" Joey asked as he thought about how Molly could have gotten lost "Might not be as bad as you think Yugi, maybe she got on the wrong bus."

"Thanks, yeah Rebecca and I will start at the shop and cover the east side."Yugi sighed, more comfortable now that there was a plan. "All six of us should meet up… at the museum, that's the center of town, from there we can go to the police and file a missing person report."

"Don't you have to wait twenty-four hours?" Joey asked skeptically.

"Since she's just a teen and not from around here they will at least start looking." Tea pointed out.

* * *

?

* * *

In the darkness of forever, a female spirit lifted her head. Why was she awake? She shouldn't be, the spirit clung to the feeling of the nothingness that had consumed her for so long, she wanted nothing more than to melt away into it. She was, after all, nothing. All she had treasured and stood for had been lost to the shifting sands of fate. But unfortunately flashes of life and memory began to play in her mind, pushing away the soothing dark.

A man and the woman standing together, hands clasped, ready to find and kill an evil spirit monster to save their village.

The same man, placing a young child on the floor, the woman reaches out her hands and watches in wonder as the child toddles over clasping her hand with its own tiny ones.

The woman, in tears, handing the child… HER child! To another woman, with the promise that it would be loved like one of her own. Then stepping through a door and confronting an armed guard that was here to take her away from everything she cared for.

Again the same woman, standing with her hands bound tight behind her. Before her was a seated Pharaoh and his Queen. They were passing judgment on her for horrible crimes that she had most certainly NOT committed. Nothing she said mattered however and she was found guilty and sentenced to die.

_'Was that Me?'_ The spirit thought looking at the woman in the visions. Long black hair, straight in the back with untamable bangs in the front. Pale skin, odd for an Egyptian, but the color was due to her condition and as the spirit thought about it she remembered flashes of sharp pain from contact with the harsh desert sun, it was the same with her eyes. Large and as dark as her hair meant the woman was near blind in all but low candle or moonlight.

The spirit paused as more and more memories drifted into view then flitted away when she tried to focus 'These are my memories… but… why?' Then the last one came, the woman kneeling in a dungeon cell. Her hands still tied, in fact tied tighter now. As she stared out the window at the full moon a revelation hit her, this really was her last night alive, and no one could… or would save her.

* * *

Meanwhile

* * *

Yugi and his friends stood outside the Domino History Museum, they had gathered here after searching all over town for Molly and although the sun was starting to sink to the horizon there was still an hour or two of daylight left. The museum was clearly closed with no cars in the parking lot but when Yugi and Rebecca had arrived there had been a light on and someone had been seen walking past a window.

"We gotta check it out Yuge!" Joey said pointing to the window. "It might be Important."

"Oh yeah" Duke said sarcastically crossing his arms, "Let's go bust up a robbery and get shot while any sane person would go the police."

"I hate to say this, but Joey is right" Rebecca spoke up stepping closer to Joey, "Considering what's inside the museum, we can't ignore this."

"You got that right Becks" Before anyone could blink Joey picked up a rock and started aiming at one of the windows. "We could be heroes." The blonde teen was about to let the rock fly but Duke managed to catch his arm.

"Joey, I know it might hurt but would you please use your brain? Why break that window…" Duke pointed to the closed window Joey was aiming at "And probably set off an alarm." Then he moved his hand and pointed to another window, a little higher up that was open, "When we could boost one of the short ones through that one and they can go around and let the rest of us in?" It took quite a bit of effort but eventually both Yugi and Rebecca were hoisted through the open window. The pair nodded to each other silently and began looking for the nearest outside door.

* * *

In the exhibit

* * *

Charles Colvin had everything in place and ready, his victim still out cold on the sarcophagus in the room's center. The aging man walked around the altar stopping to pray at each of the four directions before turning back to the girl ceremonial dagger in hand. Right now the girl's half was aligned to her and he could no more use its power than he could fly to the moon unaided. However according to the sources he had read, if he united the two halves then ended the child's life her half would align to him as his half already was. Slowly and with baited breath Professor Colvin raised the dagger high above his head and leaned over to press the two gold halves of the circle together. Just as the halves were made whole a flash of heat seared the two together and to Charles' shock he was staring into a pair of large dark eyes.

* * *

?

* * *

The spirit had been reliving her memories one by one, as if they had been etched into her soul. Over and over bits and pieces connecting to one another by the silken strands of destiny's web and as the connections formed more and more of what the shadows had taken was returned to the spirit, she began to remember her name… remember herself. Suddenly there was a flash of light and heat and the spirit felt herself pulled into the heavy weight of a living body. Cool air drawn in by the lungs shocked the spirit and the eyes of the body snapped open.

Memories and thoughts were still fuzzy, and honestly the spirit thought not all of them might be hers but one thing that she knew, Waking up with someone holding a dagger above you was not a nice way to greet the world. With a loud shout the spirit lifted her hands to push the attacker away, what neither of them expected was harsh blast of dark energy to burst from her palms knocking him backwards down the stairs of the exhibit and hard into a statue of Set in the courtyard of the next room.

The spirit sat there panting and trying to get her bearings, baffled as to where she was or what was going on, as if the universe was trying to compound the confusion a group of six teenagers burst in from the room behind her. They called out an odd name and one with tri-colored hair grabbed her am and began to run, the spirit went with them wanting to get far away from the man with the knife. The group ran through an ever changing labyrinth of corridors and rooms finally an outside door was sighted and all began heading toward the golden sun of daylight outside, even if it was fading.

The spirit however remembered enough to know that outside was bad, she began tugging on the arm that was being dragged, trying to pull her coat closed. The boy holding her arm though kept moving and finally the spirit had enough, she sat down suddenly, and an instant after that found herself on her back with the boy over top of her. The Spirit locked eyes with a pair of gentle, worried purple ones and looked away as they shifted into a muddy crimson which turned angry and aggressive as hands clenched in the front of her coat and dress.

* * *

Yami

* * *

Yami clutched at the front of the dress of the body underneath him. The fights with evil Marik in battle city had hurt and traumatized Yugi and it amazed Yami how close his light and Molly had become over the last couple days and now some strange spirit had possessed the girl.

"Who are you?" Yami shouted at the spirit giving the body a shake.

"Yugi!" Joey and Tea chorused as they ran back after noticing Yugi and Molly weren't with the group. Joey had burst through the door slightly ahead of the others, using himself as a battering ram. He had seen the man with the knife go toppling out of sight though he had just thought Molly had pushed him. Joey reached the fallen pair first and put his hand on Yami's shoulder before realizing this wasn't Yugi but the spirit his friend had told him about after Battle City.

"Yami…" the blond cast a quick glance and also noticed the difference between the girl and the spirit "We can figure things out later but there was a guy who wanted Molly dead, so we have to go now."

"No, we have to figure out what is going on!" Yami rose to his feet and started to storm back the way the group had come. Maybe if he faced down his enemy now, nipped this in the bud, It would not become something that would consume the things he cared about.

"Sorry about this Yami." Joey said as he went after the puzzle spirit and picked him up, throwing him over one shoulder. By the time he had rejoined Tea, Duke had come back and scooped up Molly wrapping the girl in the red fabric of her coat and Tristan and Rebecca were holding the door open and waiting for the others to catch up.

"Joey!" Yami banged his fists on his friend's back "Put me down right now!" But Joey didn't listen and all the gang escaped into the night.

* * *

In the exhibit

* * *

Charles Colvin lay on the ground at the feet of a statue. He lay staring up into the face of Set as a puddle of carmine pooled beneath him. He shuddered from cold and pain as his hand brushed the sacred dagger that he had stabbed himself with on accident as he fell. Looking at his blood stained hand before trying to climb the statue in an effort to escape the reality. As his hand touched the statue the air around him trembled and suddenly the pain was gone.

**_"You…. Want…. To…. Live?"_** A strange voiced hissed in his ear as spiritual hands held him close. The voice was odd, like several overlaid at once, both male and female. It was soothing yet had a dangerous edge of dark power. _**"Liiiiiiiffffe. You want it…. to be yoooung…. I want it…. to see…. To feel"** Charles_ paused struggling for a moment till whatever was holding him let him feel a sharp jolt of pain to remind him what awaited if he said no. **_"Be smart now… Join me"_** Unable to face the pain, and death which would surely follow Charles nodded and was engulfed by dark energy.

* * *

Mutou Game Shop

* * *

Grandpa Mutou was so happy to have Molly home, apparently unharmed that he hadn't noticed the difference between the girl she had been this morning and the spirit in residence now. Solomon had gone to bed and amazingly so had Rebecca, the girl falling asleep a little before reaching the shop and had to be carried by Tristan the rest of the way. Duke had also gone home, demanding to be updated in the morning. His last words before he left were

"Battle City was quite enough thank you! Just give me enough information so I don't fall in the deep end." Now Yami, Tea, Tristan, and Joey were all sitting around trying to get information from the spirit. This was proving to be a difficult task however for several reasons.

1, Yami was still convinced the spirit was evil and had to be reminded several times not to shout, though since the new spirit seemed to be effectively ignoring him that tendency was somewhat understandable.

2, The Spirit herself seemed wary of them, she sat on the couch reclining with a cat-like grace when the boys kept their distance but if they approached her she would tuck her legs under her clenching her hands into fists, her whole body as taut as a trap ready to spring. Tea had however made herself less threatening and was right now actually brushing the girl's hair.

3, The spirit in Molly's body was fascinated with modern technology. Right now she was tapping away at a touch sensitive lamp, watching the light change with innocence and awe.

"You know… her hair is different" Tea muttered as she ran the comb through the spirits hair once more, "It's a shade or two darker… and Molly had a curl to it this is perfectly straight."

"Huh… well you're a girl Tea." Joey shrugged "trust you to notice something like that" the blond chuckled and ducked the comb as Tea threw it at him. "Does Yugi change when Yami takes over?" Joey looked his friend up and down.

"Joey, you mean to tell me you've never noticed?" When both Joey and Tristan shook their heads and Tea sighed.

"You both redefine oblivious. He grows about three or four inches, his hair gets darker." She paused then thought about it, "Maybe spirits have some energy to keep people from noticing?"

"Why are we wasting time with this?" Yami growled from where he sat. "We have an evil spirit here and we are talking about my hair!"

"You know…" Joey said as he watched the spirit play with the lamp some more, "She just seems more confused than evil."

"She is an ancient spirit, who is possessing Molly, come here by unknown means!" The Pharaoh had resorted to shouting again and ignored several attempts to shush him. He was still getting nothing from Yugi, the boy was shocked to his core over this, so close to Battle City where he had almost drowned. The frustration of the normally bubbly boy going silent was wrecking havoc on the spirit of the Pharaoh and he rushed forward and grabbed the female spirit by the shoulders "Who are you?" Yami shook the spirit, then he tried again in Egyptian, "I command you to tell me!" The spirit said nothing, just stared off into space, completely ignoring the former Pharaoh who was questioning her… and Yami had never felt more like a child then at that moment. To make things worse the eyes of the girl in his hands began to flutter, blue color flooding in like water to replace the black of the spirit.

"Yuge… Yugi?" Molly gasped as she regained consciousness, finding herself staring up at a _Very_ angry Yugi. Molly cringed slightly, having been unaware Yugi _could_ be angry and found herself hitting the couch suddenly as the Pharaoh dropped her back to the sofa. Then little Yugi was back in control having come out of his funk at the sound of her voice, a little ticked at Yami for resorting to anger so quickly.

"Molly…" Yugi looked at his friend who now stared at him through tears in her eyes, "Molly, please… please don't cry. I was… I mean we were, so worried about you… I wasn't thinking straight." In the puzzle the Pharaoh felt like cursing, he felt the other spirit had switched with Molly on purpose and now he would have some explaining to do.

* * *

Spirit

* * *

What he didn't know was the spirit had retreated not to avoid Yami, but because the girl had woken up and the spirit felt uncomfortable holding control when it wasn't her body. She was now in a large room that seemed to be a library or storeroom of sort, but what was stored on the shelves was not just odds and ends but the physical manifestations of thoughts and memories. The spirit sat on a bed that was standing in one corner and put her head in her hands trying to piece things together. She knew who she was, but everything was muddled. With a sigh she began to focus, step one was to organize her thoughts next step would be to speak to the girl.

* * *

Molly

* * *

"So I was kidnapped… and now an evil spirit lives in my body?" Molly asked Yugi as the other teen held her hands in his lap while Tea made some tea for everyone "And my grandmother thought Domino would be safer than Egypt why?"

"She couldn't have known this would happen." Yugi comforted as he patted Molly's hands, "I have a spirit too, I call him Yami." Yugi saw Molly cringe and quickly tried to explain. "I'm sorry if Yami scared you Molly, he was upset because your spirit wouldn't give him any answers and he was trying to find out if she was dangerous or not." Then he had an idea which might help get those answers. "I have some friends who live in Egypt, I'll describe your coin to them, as well as what your spirit looked like. Maybe they can give us some information. Until then," Yugi made eye contact with Molly, "Try not to do anything to make her mad but if she starts encouraging you to do something bad, tell me immediately, ok?"

"Ok Yugi" Molly said as she fought off a yawn. "But until then… I think I ought to go to bed. If I remember right, Rebecca wanted to go to Kaibaland tomorrow."

"Really?" Tea said, handing Molly a cup of chamomile tea. "If you don't mind… could Joey and I come too?"

"What? Tea! Why would I want to go and give rich boy more cash!" The blond shouted as he leapt to his feet, hands balled into fists.

"Because you promised to take me out for my last birthday and that's where I want to go" Tea explained slowly to make sure Joey got it, she winked at Yugi and got a mouthed 'Thank you' in response. Joey and Tea would keep an eye on Molly and hopefully everything wasn't as bad as it seemed. Yugi walked his friends to the door, they would probably need all the sleep they could get, then he and Molly sat together watching a movie. Though if someone had asked him about it at the end Yugi wouldn't have been able to tell them a single thing about it, he was too busy watching Molly and planning the message to send to the Ishtars. After the movie was over though Molly stood up yawning.

"Ok defiantly going to bed now. Thanks for sitting through the movie with me Yugi." Yugi looked up at his new friend and blushed. "No problem, I wanted to watch that for a while anyway… you go on now. Have a good night." The boy watched as the girl gave him a last nervous smile, then disappeared into her room. After about a minute of waiting Yugi went to the family computer and sat down, trying to explain the last 48 hours to some friends half a quarter of a world away.


	4. Chapter 4

**Yu-Gi-Oh: Tale of the Dark One**

**By Hikari of Dark Rose**

**Chapter 4**

**Opening Moves**

It was 5pm in Cairo, Egypt and Ishizu Ishtar had just climbed the last flight of stairs to the top floor where she shared an apartment with her two brothers, Marik and Odion. Ishizu had recently received a promotion at the Cairo museum, Assistant Director. This meant that when the current Director retired Ishizu would be taking over that post. She had already taken on Marik at the museum as a research assistant, Odion probably could have come to work there as well but he had developed a love for cooking in the years he had cared for his siblings and now actually worked at a popular four star restaurant. Considering he practiced the menu on Marik and Ishizu, neither really found it in them to complain. In fact as she opened the door and took a deep breath the air was a fragrant mix of herbs, spices, roast vegetables, and fresh caught fish picked up from the open market.

The scene inside that greeted her eyes was far less appealing. Odion stood in his black cooking apron with cobra shaped oven mitts, holding a pan in one hand and trying to set the table with the other. Marik sat on a bench under a window, totally engrossed in a video game and not seeing the looks Odion kept giving him.

"Good evening Odion." Ishizu said as she dropped her bag inside the door and swooped forward to take the plates and finish preparing the table.

"Greetings Mis... I mean Ishizu. How was work?" Odion smiled, grateful for the help as she stepped to his aid.

"Long, it seems some of my colleagues doubt I can handle my future station. They will come around but after the meeting I had, I'm just glad today is over." The Egyptian woman looked to her adopted brother and saw him wince. "What?"

"I might not be... you left your computer on and about 3 hours ago when I came back from the restaurant it said you had mail." This news made Ishizu sigh, no one e-mailed her unless it was work or the Pharaoh. Pinching the bridge of her nose Ishizu thought for a moment. If it was the latter whatever information that might be requested could be needed urgently, but with the time being midnight or later in Domino right now the best action was to wait.

"I will get to it after dinner." Ishizu smiled at Odion. "When will that be ready?" Odion said nothing but pointed to Marik who was still oblivious to anything but his video game. Reaching over Ishizu snatched the game system from her brother who let out a yelp of shock.

"Marik... sit down and socialize at dinner or I'm going to turn it off and I don't care when the last time you saved was." Came Ishizu's stern warning as her blue eyes met her younger brother's own captivating violet. Part of Ishizu still to this day expected him to fight back or show some sign of the dark spirit that had ruled him up until recently and that part of her was quick to point out the main reason it had gotten so bad was because they had missed several of the early signs, but she needn't have worried for Marik quickly looked away and meekly walked to the table.

Dinner was as usual for the Ishtars, awkward at first since Marik had not ever been well socialized to begin with and possession along with guilt over his actions certainly did not help, but after a little while with both Ishizu and Odion coaxing him to join their conversations he opened up and talk soon turned to one of his favorite side projects, a database connecting all Egyptologists and the various areas they specialized in. As the conversation went on though Ishizu had a brain storm, cleaning her hands she went and opened her e-mail. There in the inbox, was the e-mail from the Pharaoh.

Ishizu began reading, her interest piqued as she read more. There was a new ancient spirit? The accompanying photos (courtesy of Tea) showed both forms, so similar that until one got to the eyes a observer who didn't know what to look for would miss the transformation entirely. The coin shown and described didn't look familiar to anything Ishizu had come across, except for the eye of Anubis... but there were only seven millennium items so what was this?

"Marik... please come here, and bring your notebook, I believe I have found the perfect trial for your system." Ishizu called her brother and soon he was there typing away on a little red laptop.

"Okay, Ishizu." Marik read what information was provided then turned back to his system. "The coin was on display in Domino. Who is the director?"

"Charles Colvin." Ishizu said looking it up.

"Right ... says here he specialized in Mythology... especially a legend called The Dark Lady... that sounds a bit familiar, maybe we have something in the tomb archives?" Odion finished cleaning the dinner table and approached the other two, taking a quick look over Ishizu's shoulder.

"There is a book somewhere with that Ankh and lotus design... when I was still attempting to be a Tomb Keeper I tried to read it several times." Odion hung his head slightly. He still wanted to have been an official Tomb Keeper, but lacked the bloodline.

"Tried?" Ishizu glanced at her older brother as Marik began sifting through another part of his database searching by symbol.

"Yes it seemed to be a collection of different accounts about a series of events, but the writer had a bad habit of smearing with the brush so it was rather hard to read... I will see if I can find it." Odion got up and left the apartment heading for the underground city where most of the records were still kept. Ishizu watched him go, and then turned back to where Marik sat.

"I hope he finds it soon."

* * *

In Domino

* * *

It had just gone four in the morning and Molly Bowen stayed awake, staring at the ceiling. For some reason, inside her now dwelt an ancient possibly evil spirit and Molly was afraid. What did it want? Why her? Molly knew the best ways to find these answers was to allow herself to sleep, face the spirit, and figure out exactly why it had come but fear stopped her. Finally though, as time ticked off another hour, she was dragged under by the pull of sleep.

* * *

Soul Room

* * *

She found herself in a large room, a sort of mental projection of her inner mind. The room was a combination study, library, and warehouse with several tall bookshelves containing odd and ends Molly had seen in the various places she had traveled with her grandmother, some toys, and _a lot_ of books. Malloy had seen this place before when she took classes on meditation, it was a manifestation of her heart and mind but now the room was not exactly as she remembered it. One corner that had previously been rather barren was now occupied by a jumble of objects all huddled together as if their owner was trying to take up as little space as possible. The largest of these objects was a golden bed, just big enough for one person... or two if they were entwined. The legs resembled lion paws and at the top there was a gorgeous wood framed headboard with a design inlaid in gold, lapis, and red granite. Molly peered closely at it for a moment before recognizing the ankh and flower from her own coin.

A slight movement brought Molly's attention to the occupant of this furnishing, lying on her side with her back facing Molly was the spirit in question. Other than the slight shift of her weight the spirit was as still as a statue, resting peacefully as if she wasn't trespassing in the one place Molly had all to herself.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" Molly shrieked as she stormed toward the spirit on the bed. "This is MY room! I don't know who you think you are! But…" On the word but the spirit tossed a casual glance over her shoulder and twitched her hand, Molly choked on the next word because she suddenly found herself unable to move or speak. Unable to do anything else the girl glared daggers at the spirit trying to hide the fear that suddenly gripped her heart.

"All right" the spirit said as she rolled over and sat up "I guess we have to lay a few ground rules first" rising to her feet the spirit studied the girl closely and began to circle her. Her voice was only a shade or two richer than Molly's own and everything from how she spoke to how she walked practically dripped with a self confidence Molly didn't have. "One. Don't shout. You clearly weren't raised in a stable and I hear perfectly well. Shouting doesn't do anything but make you look juvenile, so from now on keep your temper." the Spirit paused back in front of Molly and raised the girls head to look at her with one hand.

"Two. Respect me. I am not to be addressed as _you_, especially in _that_ tone. I have a name, call me by that name. Which is Anat by the way and don't worry I'm not going to ask you continuously call me by a title, bow or any of that. But I do come from royal lineage and as such would like to see a little deference." Anat continued to study Molly and the girl felt her breath catch in her throat as tears welled in her eyes. The spirit's face showed no change but the eyes softened a little and Molly was suddenly able to move again and found herself seated next to Anat on the bed as the spirit put an arm around her shoulders. "Shhhh, Don't cry. Crying solves even less than shouting and causes more damage. I'm sorry I over reacted but it's been a tough day for both of us."

"But," Molly let out a quiet sob, the stress from the day's events coming to a head "This is _my_ room!"

"Yes, Yes it is" Anat said patting Molly's hand gently. "And again I over reacted, as soon as I find a way to go I will be gone if that is your wish. But until then I must beg your hospitality, I will help make this easier in any way I can." Molly looked up and locked eyes with Anat again.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Molly studied the spirit who sat next to her thoughtfully. "You didn't answer anyone's questions. For all we know you're evil and trying to take over the world."

"Why would I want the world? I have enough problems as it is… Besides, look at me." Anat said. She stood up and walked into center of the room, turning around so Molly could see her. "Do I look evil? Am I laughing manically, while lightning flashes behind me?" She looked at Molly with a slight grin to show she was joking and Molly found herself chuckling.

"I guess not." The girl shook her head "But then why didn't you answer Yugi's spirit when he was asking you questions?"

"By "asking" you mean shouting." The spirit said sitting down again, "And you remember what rule one is right… uh…"

"Molly." The girl filled in her name when it was clear the spirit didn't know hers, "If I remember right, Rule one was "No shouting" but it couldn't have hurt to at least try right?"

"People don't often listen properly when they are that upset." The Spirit admitted, "I seem to be in a bit of a tight spot. I died; well … you don't want the details. All I had with me was this." Anat pointed to her neck around which a manifestation of the coin hung. "This was designed for me by my dearest friend a long time ago, I made it a reality. Right before I met my end I poured as much of my soul into it as possible, but that leaves me here with no way to get out."

"You... sealed your own soul into your medallion?" Molly blinked as what Anat said caught up to her, "You didn't think that was a bit dangerous?"

"Considering my options? Not much of a choice…But that's enough for now. We can always talk more later and you need proper sleep." Molly started to open her mouth to protest but Anat waved her hand and the room darkened as Molly slipped into a natural sleep.

Upstairs

Yugi wished he could sleep without dreaming. Here he was, merged with someone he didn't know in a dream he didn't want. Standing in a jail cell Yugi paced back and forth restlessly before approaching the wooden door.

"I can hear you out there... how long do I have" The part that didn't belong to Yugi was sure that he would be killed by the end of all this.

"I've been told you are to be held until dawn two days from now." Came an answering response from the guard outside the door. "Though the thing is… none of the guards on duty know why. There's some pretty hefty bets going around."

"You placed one of those bets?" Yugi asked with an arched eyebrow. Yugi would never tolerate his own soldiers back home gambling but if this one was desperate he might be able to bribe his way out. _'Wait… I have soldiers? '_ Yugi thought hard trying to figure out exactly what was going on, but then he felt the same dual sensation as he had in the other dream when he had been poisoned. The feeling got worse and worse the more Yugi struggled, giving him a horrible case of vertigo, but then things clarified a little. He was Yugi Mutou right now, but he was also someone else, and Yami was nowhere in reach even with their mental link. Slowly Yugi focused on the someone else and tentatively prodded at the other consciousness like he would if he were trying to gently wake Yami and almost shocked himself awake when he felt the other personality actually recoil.

It was the other entity itself that held him asleep as it latched onto him and the vertigo came back full force when Yugi once again began to struggle but the other person kept their hold.

"No I haven't," Said the guard on the other side of the door, "It's hard enough to earn and save my wages, I want to start a family next year."

"A family…" The person that Yugi was merged with looked down at his feet then back to meet the guards semi familiar piercing eyes through a barred slot in the door, "I had one, a woman who loved me, even a child… Don't take it for granted when you get yours." The guard listened then moved closer to the door and looked through the window in the door, Yugi could see a more subdued version of Yami's hair.

"That part of why you're here?" The guard paused and suddenly a light went on behind his eyes "Wait there's no children and only one woman here that you could have been sneaking in to see… no…That evil sorceress being kept in the isolation pit? You love _her_?" The venom in the prisoner's glare almost made the guard take a step back, and Yugi could feel the emotions of the prisoner at that moment as well. A black cloud of anger burnt through him leaving a cold, bitter, empty, sorrow that left him almost to tears.

"She is not evil." The prisoner spoke and Yugi got the slight nagging feeling the message was as much for him as the guard. "She did make a few decisions resulted in some executions but none of them came easily and everything she did … even that, was for the good of other people." The prisoner sighed and sank to the floor, "I don't know what is causing the Pharaoh and Queen to allow such rumors about their sister spread, let alone actually believe them. Anat would have been happy to stay back home on the outskirts, Studying magic and governing our village. She would have been a great ally to her siblings and let me tell you I see a day when some threat will loom and the defenders of Egypt will seek for magic as a last resort."

"Are you a sorcerer as well?" The guard asked for as the man spoke he visibly shuddered, somehow what the prisoner had just said was true… maybe not now but someday it would, he could feel it in his bones.

"No but I lived with her for a while and picked up a few things. None of which will save her, I promised her I would protect her… but I can't. Not from her siblings and not from history. Probably forever she will be remembered as evil, instead of being the leader she could have been, the scholar she is, or the wife and mother that she wanted to be." The prisoner once again made eye contact with the guard. "If you can at all, please, please, please make sure she is buried properly. I don't trust your King and Queen to give her even that much."

Knowing quite a bit about the beliefs of ancient Egypt from his grandfather, Yugi felt his stomach lurch when he thought about what that could mean. Yami had lost his name and all his memories along with it, if a body was badly damaged a spirit could be stuck wandering forever, and a spirit that lost both its body and name would disappear permanently. The thought of it bothered both Yugi and the spirit he was dreaming with so much that it snapped Yugi awake. Glancing past the hovering, worried Yami Yugi noted it was nearly noon.

"Did they leave already? " Yugi asked his guardian as he scrambled from bed and over to his computer to check his e-mail. Quickly seeing a message from Ishizu he clicked on the link, almost not surprised to see what she had written.

* * *

Apartment of Charles Colvin

* * *

Charles sat in a chair, clutching his head as the spirit which had saved his life poured through his knowledge, reading his mind as if it were a book. As it went, mentally clawing and snarling its host tried not to look at the fallen body of his servant Ettore. The poor man had approached the possessed Egyptologist when Charles had first entered the apartment covered in drying blood and had been felled by a wave of dark energy.

"_**Unbelievable!"**_ The entity shouted and Charles winced as he felt a pounding reverberation travel through his skull, _**"By … the … gods!"**_ The spirit then began ranting in a dialect of ancient Egyptian so obscure even Charles found it completely foreign.

"Please… Whatever you want with me. You have to calm down or I won't survive for you to get it." The older man croaked as he tried to ride the waves of anger coming from the thing he was now sharing headspace with.

"_Want… Want…"_ the strange voice whispered before suddenly turning violently angry again _**"Want Her!"**_ Charles was suddenly treated to a flashback of the girl who had sent him tumbling with a burst of magic, only this time it was overlaid with a near identical image of what could have been the same woman in another life lying half dead on the sands of Egypt. _"Mine… She stole mine… and with her own power…" _It roared again causing Charles to clench the arms of his chair with his hands to try and distract himself from the pain,_**"Revenge… it will be mine!"**_

"Argh! ... yes, but…. I can't be of any help if you keep me in this much pain!"Charles shouted closing his eyes and holding his head. Suddenly he had a pair of visions, one was the girl from before with Egyptian text reading Dark One across it though the determitive glyph was clearly a woman so it could be translated as Dark Lady. The other figure was an imposing _male_ sorcerer with the text Sage of Set identifying him. Charles eyes snapped open as he realized what he was being shown, what he had assumed was the same person was actually two entities… and the relationship between them didn't seem to be happy. "You want revenge on her?... Why do you need me?"

"_What I need is a body"_ The entity whispered and Charles wondered why the spirit seemed to suddenly have an easier time connecting to him, _"You opened your mind." _Came the response in a voice that seemed mildly amused by the Egyptologists fear and confusion.

"Why?" Charles said though he was sure the spirit was reading his thoughts it made him feel better to speak out loud. "Why her? Is there a reason or just some old grudge?"

"_Her and I… we are alike … almost one."_ The spirit told its host_ "I can use our magic better than she, to win her power and a new life I must defeat her properly."_

"Properly?... and how will you, I mean we do that?" Charles wished he hadn't asked that as his body rose to its feet against his will and walked till he stood over Ettore's body.

"_We will start, by issuing a challenge_" The spirit held Charles's hand over the corpse and began chanting once more. Slowly a pulsing orb of dark purple and black energy began to form, once it achieved the proper mass the orb began to reshape itself and solidify, shaping itself into a green and red insect like creature the like of which Charles had never seen. With the free hand the entity opened the corpses mouth and then dropped the writhing mass of tentacles and pincers down the throat, _"She will recognize the game"_

"No! What are you doing with him?" Charles winced as the creature crawled deeper into his friend with a series of sickening cracks and squelches.

"_He will be our first move, once my pet breathes new life into him that is."_ The elderly Egyptologist could barely stand to watch as suddenly what had once been Ettore opened its eye and let out a sinister hiss.


End file.
